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Launched · SEC filings

Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Growth ETF

VBKNYSE ArcaVanguardA

$329.06−1.12 (−0.34%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

A72/ 100

Rank 6 of 35 in US Growth Index

A72/100Rank 6 of 35inUS Growth Index
Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 330.18 to 329.06. Range 328.82 to 334.99. Use the arrow keys to read each point.331.00332.00333.00334.00335.0010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.05%
Fund size · all share classes
$43B
1Y total return
+9.2%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.42%
Holdings
556
Avg volume · 30D
203K sh
52W range
low $280.27high $367.04
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net VBK Grade

A

Score 72 out of 100

Category
US Growth Index⁠
Rank
6 of 35
Six-pillar profile for VBK. Scores out of 100: Cost 78, Risk 41, Mission 96, Tradability 43, Holdings 80, Durability 83. Strongest: Mission (96). Weakest: Risk (41). Leans toward Mission.

Score 72 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    A78 out of 100
    Rank 5 of 35

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A96 out of 100
    Rank 16 of 32

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C41 out of 100
    Rank 22 of 35

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C43 out of 100
    Rank 19 of 35

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A80 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 35

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A83 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 35

Our read on VBK

ETF.net Research

In short

AThe small-cap outlier in a growth aisle dominated by mega-cap names. About 600 smaller U.S. growth companies, tracked by full replication for 0.05% a year, run by Vanguard since 2004.

Stated mandate

Seeks to track the CRSP US Small Cap Growth Index, representing growth companies among small-capitalization U.S. equities. The fund uses passive full replication and remains fully invested.

Why people hold it

  • Costs 0.05% a year against a 0.18% median across its growth peer group, and sits in the same fee neighborhood as large-cap giants like VUG and SCHG while indexing a much thinner slice of the market.
  • Plain mechanics: full replication of the CRSP US Small Cap Growth Index, fully invested, no manager discretion. Roughly 600 holdings spread out the single-name risk that comes with small companies.vanguard.com
  • Live since 2004 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, with a long record of hugging its index closely. Distributions land quarterly.
  • One of the stronger implementations in its growth cohort: the cheap, wide, rules-driven way to own the small end of the style box rather than a stock-picker's version of it.

Worth knowing

  • Small-cap growth is the market's jumpiest corner, and the fund stays fully invested through every drawdown. There is no cash buffer or defensive tilt to soften the ride.
  • This is a style slice, not a portfolio: U.S. only, small caps only, growth side of the index only. What qualifies is decided by CRSP's rules, not by a manager's judgment.
  • Trades in solid but not headline volume, so spreads can run wider than the mega-cap growth ETFs it shares a shelf with.

VBK Performance

Launched Jan 26, 2004

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

VBK$10,918
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. VBK $10,918. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for VBK. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodVBK
Year to date+9.6%
1 month−2.3%
3 months−2.9%
1 year+9.2%
3 yearsper year+19.0%
5 yearsper year+2.8%
10 yearsper year+10.9%

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for VBK
YearReturn barVBK
2026 YTD+9.6%
2025+8.5%
2024+16.5%
2023+21.4%
2022−28.4%
2021+5.7%
2020+35.4%

VBK in the news

VBK Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 30, 2026.
0.42%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$1.40Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.30 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 38 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.34; Jun 21, 2017 $0.21; Sep 20, 2017 $0.21; Dec 21, 2017 $0.55; Mar 22, 2018 $0.24; Jun 22, 2018 $0.24; Sep 28, 2018 $0.29; Dec 24, 2018 $0.43; Mar 28, 2019 $0.24; Jun 27, 2019 $0.24; Sep 16, 2019 $0.21; Dec 24, 2019 $0.45; Mar 10, 2020 $0.25; Jun 25, 2020 $0.13; Sep 25, 2020 $0.30; Dec 24, 2020 $0.50; Mar 25, 2021 $0.19; Jun 24, 2021 $0.30; Sep 24, 2021 $0.15; Dec 27, 2021 $0.37; Jun 23, 2022 $0.24; Sep 23, 2022 $0.39; Dec 22, 2022 $0.47; Mar 23, 2023 $0.33; Jun 23, 2023 $0.38; Sep 21, 2023 $0.31; Dec 21, 2023 $0.62; Mar 21, 2024 $0.40; Jun 27, 2024 $0.41; Sep 26, 2024 $0.29; Dec 23, 2024 $0.40; Mar 27, 2025 $0.40; Jun 30, 2025 $0.42; Sep 29, 2025 $0.43; Dec 22, 2025 $0.39; Mar 27, 2026 $0.34; Jun 26, 2026 $0.37; Sep 28, 2026 $0.30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 28, 2026Sep 30, 2026$0.30
Jun 26, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.37
Mar 27, 2026Mar 31, 2026$0.34
Dec 22, 2025Dec 24, 2025$0.39
Sep 29, 2025Oct 1, 2025$0.43
Jun 30, 2025Jul 2, 2025$0.42
Mar 27, 2025Mar 31, 2025$0.40
Dec 23, 2024Dec 26, 2024$0.40
Sep 26, 2024Sep 30, 2024$0.29
Jun 27, 2024Jul 1, 2024$0.41
Mar 21, 2024Mar 26, 2024$0.40
Dec 21, 2023Dec 27, 2023$0.62

See all 64 payments⁠

$10,000 in VBK 10 years ago paid $1,098 in dividends.⁠

VBK Risk

Risk pillarC41 out of 100Rank 22 of 35 in US Growth Index
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
18.6%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.79
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−38.4%
Trough Jun 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.19
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

VBK Cost

Compare VBK and VUG

Overpaying vs VUG, cheapest in US Growth Index

$422

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • VBK 0.05%

    $1,060

  • VUG 0.03% Cheapest

    $638

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • VBK 0.05%
  • VUG 0.03%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$250$500$750$1K$1.25K051015202530VBK $1,060VUG $638

Year by year

YearVBKVUGOverpaying
10$92$55$37
20$360$216$144
30$1,060$638$422

Other funds in US Growth Index

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